Thursday, 12 December 2013

Summer has finally arrived over here in the Southern Hemisphere. The blazing heat, gusts of hot wind, and the piercing rays from the sun seems to make everything unbearable.

Yet Summer means the beginning of a memorable vacation, and the end of a heartfelt year. It also means a whole new ocean of different styles and trends as the seasons have changed.

On a hot Summer's day, nothing is as horrible as struggling what to wear. This is why dresses were invented in my opinion. It's super easy to simply slip on. It's light, fun, and truly comfortable. My pick of the day is this pretty little green dress from Courage & Candy in Stellenbosch. Its effortless fit makes it look very stylish, plus its dashing green makes any passer-by smile!

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

The queen that gave pop art a
new form. The voice that rings in our ears in order to be remembered for ever.
The Godiva whose outfits seem to surprise us again and again. And again.

Lady Gaga – you either love
her, or you don’t.

To top off the 27-year-old’s
new ARTPOP album, Lady Gaga recently collaborated with none other than Versace.
The dame has always been a fan of dress-up (we all remember the meat-dress).
Lady Gaga has been revealed as the official face of the house’s spring/summer
2014 collection. Gaga truly embodies Versace’s essence; she directly alludes to
the mother of Versace, Donatello, as she is portrayed as a peroxide blonde.

In the campaign shots, she appears as her
divine and luxurious self as she lounges the day away in expensive couture. She
wears a lavender coloured dress, decorated with the signature Medusa head. In
the second shot, with the same painfully blond head piece, Gaga wears a dark
and shiny skirt that reaches the calves and waist. She seductively poses with a
gloriously charismatic black Palazzo handbag as she stares into an unknown
distance.

In order to take the ad
campaign to the next level, Lady Gaga wears a gown - similar to the lavender
gown in her ad campaign – to the American Music Awards. As we all know Lady
Gaga for her eccentric and crazy performances, she rode onto the red carpet, on
top of a white Trojan horse. She truly knows how to make an entrance.

Donatello reports, "I am
honoured that my friend Lady Gaga is the face of our new Versace campaign. I wanted
to capture her true beauty and spirit in images that are elegant and alluring.
She is like family to me, the embodiment of the Versace DNA."

Donatello and Lady Gaga
shares a friendly bond with one another. Lady Gaga even refers to Donatello in
one of her tracks, titled ‘Donatello’, on her new album. Lady Gaga continues,
and will continue, to stay on top of the world of fame, one uniquely manicured
step at a time.

Sunday, 3 November 2013

As
seasons come and go, the tendency of certain colour palettes change amongst
fashion enthusiasts and fanatics. We've seen the likes of earthly tones, pops
of neon and pastel colours starring in the outfits of the stylish and
up-to-date.

Varying
from shades from sea-white to plain white, to white with added tints; varying
from silver-black, pitch black or even a slight edge of grey - the colour
palette to indulge in is known as monochromatic (Or to be clear - black and
white). Contrasting colours - some do not consider these as colours - always
catch the corner of an eye. Black and white has been known as equal opposites
for years. Some believe it symbolises certain ideals for example that black
conveys the feeling of darkness, mystery and terror, while white conveys the
feeling of new beginnings, lightness and goodness. Whatever their meanings,
black and white seem to be soul mates - even if the colours are complete
opposites.

With
any outfit, dashes of colour are acceptable. Monochromatic doesn't mean you
have to dress up like a mime. It is a tendency to have fun with, like all
things in fashion. Miley cyrus is a good example for this colour palette. Her
change in music and character indicated a change in fashion as well. She plays
around with black and white, and creates a few noteworthy looks. Not to mention
Rita Ora or Vanessa Hudgens.

So if
you're feeling blocked today, and the fashion-bug hasn't bitten you with a dose
of inspiration, attempt a monochromatic-inspired outfit. Black is
an ever-lasting colour of elegance and white is always a good idea.

Friday, 25 October 2013

The Barbadian artist
surprised me as soon as I laid eyes on her performance – she carried
herself with such a cool attitude without even trying. Thousands of screaming fans
echoed through the stadium as she arrived on stage. She wore one outfit, yes, one,
and sang with a great passion. Her old school jacket added to the aura she so
visibly carried across the stage and onto the big screen. Her voice sounded
like something that you’re supposed to hear on the radio, making it sound somewhat like a dream - rather than a memory.

Rihanna’s “Diamonds
World Tour” was one of the events on my calendar for this year. With an entire
term with the goal to pass the ever-frightening exams, her concert deemed to be a highlight for
my insufferable boredom. My friends, with two on their feet and a third in a
wheelchair, and I made our way to the soccer stadium in Green point, Cape Town
in order to set our sights on Rihanna – with admiration of course.

It was a night to
remember.

Not only has my friend lost her wallet, we got to see the one and
only Rihanna - the singer that has basically rocked any and every hairstyle
known to mankind. Her style projects a cool character that is perfectly able to carry any look; be it grunge or classy. She turns out to be my style star of
the moment.

Riri even teamed up
with MAC cosmetics before arriving in South Africa. In order to launch the
summer’s hottest make-up must-haves, Rihanna collaborated with MAC and created
The RiRi Heart MAC collection. From deep plum lipsticks to brown liners and
copper colours, a truly unique collection is created.

So what do you do
after you’ve reached fame, power and a database of hungrily obsessed fans?

It’s not indulging in
gorgeous gourmet dishes, neither is it swimming in bath tubs filled with loads
of cash; no, it’s much more than that. How about starting your own clothing
line?

These are the thoughts
that some of Hollywood’s top celebs had in mind. Former Spice-Girl Victoria
Beckham currently resides as a designer under her label, Victoria Beckham no doubt.
The majorly successful music producer, rapper and all-around mogul, Jay-Z, launched
his clothing career back in 1999, called Rocawear. With annual sales from over
$700 million, Jay-Z certainly showcases the fact that fashion can be manly as
well. Even newly-engaged Kanye West set his sights on more than just the Kardashian
Crew – after reportedly working with Fendi and Louis Vuitton, the rapper
expressed his love for all things fashion by creating his own fashion line.
Kate Moss, the Olsen-twins, Jessica Simpson – it seems to be a new trend.

The real star up for
discussion, for the moment, is Kate Bosworth. She has recently unveiled her
second collection whilst collaborating with none other than Topshop.
Photographed by her husband, Michael Polish, this collection seems to portray a
sleek and minimalistic aesthetic within the boundaries of a red, white a black colour palette. So, for the people who like plain, clean cut
clothing, Kate’s collection will be a dream come true.

Unsurprisingly, she
stars as the face for her collection. With seemingly wet hair, a well-kept body
and a variety of backgrounds, she somehow manages to look like an entirely different
‘Kate’ (well, from my point of view). Her autumn/winter collection is tailored and tidy, and
produced to perfection. A style of effortlessness is conveyed through its
simplistic aspects; this 46-piece wonder can be seen as part of the new
monochromatic and minimalistic trend.